


Vicinity of Obscurity

by SteelBallRex



Category: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon
Genre: Canon: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time/Darkness/Sky, Mystery, Original Character(s), Other, Pokemon - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-15
Updated: 2018-06-15
Packaged: 2019-05-23 13:27:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14935140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SteelBallRex/pseuds/SteelBallRex
Summary: Kodiak decides what to do after her partner goes missing.





	Vicinity of Obscurity

A nauseous wave overcame the meowth. Her heart pounded and her senses were erased, confusion washed over her in a cold, stiff breeze. The area was dark. She could barely see her paws just inches from her face, the icy colours of the thick forest just confused her even more.

  
Her partner was gone, they shouldn’t have done this mission, she knew it was too dangerous, and yet she insisted. And now look what happened. She lost sight and track of her partner, gone, swallowed by the pitch darkness of the Black Woods.

  
“North!” She called, the sound moving effortlessly through the woods but inevitably disappearing and eaten by the stale air. Kodiak began to panic. Her heart felt like it was going to burst. The edges of her eyes became damp, her emotions getting the better of her, the thought that she had caused the demise of her partner, never to be seen again in these dense woods. It was further nauseating.

  
Kodiak sobbed as she continued. Her paws weak and sore, covered in scratches from desperate searching. She felt as if she was at her wits end. The endless forest swallowing all that entered it, and she was no exception.

  
But there was one detail the meowth was leaving out.

  
The pokémon Kodiak and North were hunting - the alakazam… She saw it. There had been a warrant out for it for some time now, but many could not track it, or even find it. But Kodiak saw it. But after that, that’s when her partner disappeared.

  
But the alakazam… there was something wrong with it. Kodiak sensed a darkness. What they thought was just going to be a simple arrest turned out to be something deeper. Darker. Scarier. Out of Kodiak’s league, out of anyones league.

  
_Kodiak…_

  
The meowth’s head and ears shot up, crying out at the familiar voice. “N-North! I’m right here! Where are you?” She spun around quickly on her paws. Flipping her body and ears every which way, trying desperately to find the sound of her missing partner’s voice. But the voice was nowhere… but somehow everywhere.

  
In a panic, the meowth just chose one direction and stuck with it, running towards the sound in a flurry of panic and sweat, her paws carried herself effortlessly through the invisible woods, the trees even seemed to part as she moved through them, but she barely noticed the woods beginning to warp to her movements, the sound of shifting sands could be heard as the trees parted while the meowth flew through the trees.

  
“North! I’m coming! We’ll get out okay!” Kodiak called, seemingly to no one.

  
Slowly her surroundings became darker and darker, somehow darker than before. Kodiak stopped with a skid, her mind whirling and baffled. She sniffed before she heard a sound of feet behind her, shuffling claws alerted her to a familiar sound.

  
Turning around, even against the pitch black, Kodiak still could recognize the faded outline of her partner, North, his black feathers shedding no light, but Kodiak knew it was the murkrow. Kodiak ran after her parter who she thought she’d lost forever purely on instinct. And the murkrow smiled, parting his beak in relief. But before the two could reunite, the dream shattered. Kodiak fell through emptiness, seeing her beloved friend grabbed through nothingness by a clawed hand, grasping him with no remorse.

  
_“NORTH!!”_ Kodiak cried, but her voice made not a sound, as she saw her partner be reduced nothing but space dust, his cries ringing silent in the dark.  
Kodiak burst awake in her cot, her eyes wide with fear, her chest heaving in and out heavily as she regained her surroundings. Her fur was bent out of shape, her whiskers askew, her throat was dry, and she coughed, swallowing to get the moisture back. She stood up from her bed, her legs wobbling. Slowly she made her way to the washroom, where she wiped off her face and rehydrated herself.

  
Walking back to her room, Kodiak looked out her window absentmindedly, watching the ever so still moon, surrounded by quivering stars. She stared for what seemed like minutes, her tail wrapped around her paws.

  
She missed North like hell, every day she thought about him. And every day she missed him. But since that incident… Kodiak couldn’t bare to become an explorer again. Her and North shared a bond unlike any other, there couldn’t, and there wouldn’t be anyone like him ever again.  
The following day, Kodiak woke up from another restless night, her body ached, as she couldn’t quite find a comfortable spot in her bed anymore. Resentfully, she decided a walk around town would do her some good.

 

Fortune Town was small, but up and coming. It’s very own Guild was around just when Kodiak started as an explorer, and its only become bigger every since. The development in the town was just getting started too, with more and more young explorers wanting to try their hand at the profession. Pokémon too young to start would often be seen playing their pretend adventures, and that was enough to make Kodiak smile.

  
Kodiak loved exploring. She loved discovering new things, seeing new places - there was nothing she didn’t enjoy, but she just couldn’t do it anymore. Her heart ached at the thought, but she shook it away. For now, she thought she’d stop by the supermarket to see if there was anything new. As she arrived, she looked over the storefront, which was small, but narrow. The store was just a large patio it seemed, the cashier being at the very front with a booth, while the back extended beyond. Most pokémon would just choose from the variety located at the very front of the store.

  
The meowth was greeted by two very excited grass Pokémon, Bulbasaur and Lotad, the two owners of the supermarket. Lotad was sitting mining the front, while Bulbasaur was in the back moving stock with her vines. She waved at Kodiak, who dipped her head back.

  
“Hey Kodiak! We got some new stuff if you wanna look!” Lotad exclaimed, and Kodiak smiled, grateful she didn’t ask her a question. “Bulbasaur and I still always keep stock of chople berries for you,” Lotad smiled with a little laugh. “Just in case you’d ever want them again.”

  
Kodiak tilted her head, she was surprised anyone would ever do that for her. But her and the two clerks were always close, they’d been running their business together for years, always supplying explorers with their needs, and never forgot a name. Kodiak was grateful for them, and always could rely on their expertise, even if she didn’t explore anymore.

  
The meowth nodded.

  
Lotad turned towards her coworker, “Bulbasaur! Wrap up our Kodiak a nice bundle of chople berries.” Without even waiting for an answer, Lotad turned back to Kodiak with a smile, and behind her, she could see the Bulbasaur roll her eyes and go to the back room.

  
“If you ever need a job or extra credits to take care of yourself, you’re always welcome to help out here.” Lotad said, and Kodiak flattened her ears, her mouth tightening in a neutral manner. “We always need help.” Lotad smiled, but Kodiak only shrugged.

  
The offer was nice, but, Kodiak didn’t know how well she’d fit in, especially in something that requires customer service. In fact, she hadn’t really gotten her life together in a while, ever since she stopped exploring.

  
“Sorry, I know you’re still recovering, I just thought I’d offer. Everyone in Fortune knows about what happen, they wanna help.” The lotad cut into Kodiak’s thoughts, and she smiled gratefully back. She understood the good will, but if everyone knew about what happened, then they would know she wasn’t up to working.  
Bulbasaur’s vines reached over the counter towards Kodiak, giving her the nicely wrapped up berries. The bags were weighted on either ends, and could easily lay overtop of Kodiak’s back, where she wiggled her body to fit the bag snugly over her.

  
While she reached over to give them the credits, the shopkeepers refused to take her money. “Today it’s on us.” Lotad said, “take care of yourself.”  
Kodiak’s ears fell, but she smiled softly and nodded, waving her goodbyes.

  
As she walked through the town, she decided that it was a nice enough day that maybe she could spend some time alone in the nearby park, and snack on her berries.

  
She walked through the small towns downtown area, shops were always busy and had plenty of business with the local residents, who were enough to keep the economy in check. And with the town's booming popularity, it wouldn’t be long until Kodiak saw a big change come for the once small town. Even some buildings were already becoming taller.

  
Kodiak approached the park, while it wasn’t a park at first glance, it was a large, open field with trees peppered in and out of the grassland. Paths were woven through that same field that gave Pokémon a chance to take a load off or even go for a jog.

  
But whenever Kodiak came to this park, it technically belonged to Fortune Town’s local Guild. More often than not, there would be meetings held that were the Guild’s - and often a place where they’d all gather to gain their bearings before going on a large expedition. Kodiak was familiar with it all, and sometimes she felt herself yearning. She pushed the thought away, and found a comfortable spot to seat herself while she ate.

  
One by one, she tossed the chople berries into her mouth, the sweet, tangy taste made her happy, with a satisfying pop that would come with biting into it’s tender hide. She already felt better. The familiar food was comforting, and it never hurt to get a little boost in resistance every now and then.

  
Kodiak’s eyes drifted towards the guild. The entrance was, typically, as she remembered. Structured similarly to the one in Treasure Town, arguably the one most are familiar with. But the meowth was glad to see the once little town given a chance to become something more well known.

  
The only difference was, unlike Treasure Town’s guild, which was shaped in lieu of Guildmaster Wigglytuff; Fortune Town’s was shaped like the head of Guildmaster Simisear. The read, tufted head of the Guildmaster was visible across the town, and was arguably, and ill omen.

  
While Kodiak loved exploring, she had an indescribable hatred for the Guildmaster. She was not alone on this opinion however, and everyone would be quick to agree. During the time Kodiak spent from the beginning to the end of her exploring career, Kodiak had seen one Guildmaster out and a new one come in, the new one being Simisear. And in that time the Guild had been completely renovated to sport the new look of their new overlord - ahem, Guildmaster. Previously, the guild was run by Granbull, a deceptively cheery and loveable Pokémon, she was loved and adored by everyone in the guild. She was generous, kind, and understanding - and wasn’t afraid to put her foot down. Everything she did was from the good in her heart, and she was a damn good explorer, who had mapped out countless dungeons for future explorers. Kodiak had idolized her, and still missed her greatly since her departure.

  
Granbull would have stayed forever if that blasted Simisear hadn’t gotten himself involved, simply using cheap tricks and money to weasel himself in place. Her second in command was the young, impressionable, but extremely intelligent Flechinder, who felt forced to serve the new Guildmaster in honour of Granbull, as much as it pained him to not follow closely behind Granbull after she was forced out. Flenchinder now appears hollow, the once bright, lively eyes now seemed dark and dull and devoid of purpose.

  
Lost in thought, Kodiak hadn’t noticed she spaced out, the chople berry hovering in front of her mouth. She blinked back into reality, chewing and swallowing the berry before wrapping them up again for later. She sat in the field and felt her mind drifting again, staring at that red top of the Guild. She wondered if she really missed exploring, especially after that idiot Simisear decided to come and ruin everything that was even good in the guild.  
But it was her partner, North, that made it all worth it. And now, he was gone.

  
Remembering North always hurt. The meowth’s ears dropped when she recalled him, he always knew what to say, what to do, when to do something and when to not, he just always had that air around him like he knew what he was doing. He was Fortune Town’s best explorer, and Kodiak had the honour of being his partner. He chose her.

  
And now, he was gone, and it was Kodiak’s fault. He trusted her and she failed to keep him safe. It was unforgivable. And so, she expelled herself from the guild before she was banned for such an unforgivable thing.

  
She had to stop thinking about it. Otherwise, she’d spiral too quickly.

  
Pushing the thoughts away best she could, with one last look at the guild, she turned away, but looked again when something caught her eye. Looking a little closer she saw a small, round Pokémon running away and down the stairs of the guild frantically. Like a cat, Kodiak was curious, and was compelled to investigate. She got a little closer and noticed the small Pokémon was crying. She couldn’t recognize them, it wasn’t a Pokémon you saw so often. Round, fluffy, and pink; with a small tail sprouting from its behind, and two medium sized paws, of which were running frantically, and surprisingly, ran very fast. The round Pokémon ran the opposite direction of the town, towards the crossroads pointing to various dungeons and forests. Who knows where the distressed Pokémon would run to, Kodiak thought. They could run somewhere dangerous and they wouldn’t even notice!

  
Without even thinking, Kodiak ran for the Pokémon, who had run into the town’s neighbouring woods. While the woods themselves were not dangerous; if you went too far in, if you don’t know the woods and are without someone to help guide you, there could be trouble. Many rookie explorers made this mistake, the forest was deceptively large, and many got lost and had to be rescued.

  
But Kodiak knew these woods. She was confident. The round Pokémon disappeared in the brush, and with all the scents and sounds, Kodiak found it hard to zero in on them. Kodiak padded through the woods, listening carefully to every sound, bringing her head down to the ground to smell, using her eyes to look for anything out of place, such as a bent twig or squished grass. Her head shot up when she heard some pidgey’s cries above her, they were flying either away or towards something; but Kodiak had recalled where she’d come from, the pidgey’s were flying in the direction of the town. There were no woods that way, so they must be flying away from something. Most likely, noise; or a ruckus.

  
The meowth bounded in the way opposite of the frantic pidgeys, her tail moving in a perfect wave motion as she pranced, stopping when she the heard cries of a Pokémon, a cry for help. Her ears narrowed in on the sounds, the sounds of not one Pokémon… but many.

  
Kodiak ran through the brush before appearing before a clearing, her eyes wide when she saw the round Pokémon she was tracking, being circled by a group of aggressive poochyena. Three of them closed in on the round Pokémon, the Pokémon of which was panicked, crying, and scared. The feral poochyena growled, angry at the pink Pokémon for trespassing, barking and spitting. While Kodiak thought about how to approach this situation, she wasn’t sure she could take on the three poochyena at once, three against one wasn’t plausible, even if the meowth was confident. She wasn't sure of the pink Pokémon was... capable.

  
But behind the growling circle, behind the round Pokémon, in the dark, the meowth's keen eyes could see the dark figure growing closer, that must be the poochyena’s pack leader… a large, imposing, Mightyena. It got closer by the second while the round Pokémon was distracted by the poochyena, and impulsively, Kodiak unsheathed her claws and burst into the clearing, running for the Pokémon’s rescue.

  
The poochyena’s attention was turned towards the sprinting meowth, her eyes focused and pupils narrowed tightly. She charged towards the group, the round Pokémon too distracted and scared to see their help had arrived.

  
The round Pokémon found courage to peek, seeing that the poochyena’s attention was no longer on them, but on the meowth.

  
“Ah!” The Pokémon cried, and ducked when the meowth leapt, her unsheathed claws sinking into the fur of the mightyena that had charged as well, just inches from the small Pokémon’s head. Kodiak knocked the mightyena on its back, lifting her paw high with claws shining, ready to strike again, but her head twisted around when she saw the poochyena running towards her to assist their leader, and she jumped backwards, landing just next to the pink Pokémon, their eyes wet with tears, but staring in awe of their hero.

  
“Are… are you an explorer?” The Pokémon rasped. Kodiak turned her eyes towards the Pokémon’s pink eyes, before turning back to the pack that weren’t finished with them. She readied herself and crouched in preparation, her claws still unsheathed, sharp and unforgiving. The mightyena stared daggers at the meowth, the pack had a new target. Kodiak stood there unmoving, waiting for the pack to make a move first.

  
Then, the mightyena lifted its great tail and the poochyena raced towards Kodiak, the round Pokémon hiding behind her. She held her stance, waiting for the right moment.

  
She bent her legs as the poochyena approached, before springing up high over the three poochyena, her paws spread wide. The three stopped in confusion and looked above them, watching the meowth sail effortlessly.

  
And then, she slapped her paws together, and a great blast blinded the three and they compulsively flinched, stumbling backwards and dazed. As they stumbled, Kodiak landed behind the group and wasted no time to sprint towards the pack leader, who bore their teeth and growled with pure anger. It stomped its paw, on each toe was a wicked claw, mostly used for digging, but could be used for… alternative means. Kodiak showed her teeth as well, before dodging a quick bite by the mightyena - it was fast, but not as fast as Kodiak. She slid under the body of the mightyena, pulling herself from underneath and jumped again, twisting around and outstretching her paws towards the back of the pack leader’s head. The mightyena turned its large head and was met with a flurry of scratches; Kodiak’s paws effortlessly flew across the mightyena’s nose, tearing it up with ease.

  
The mightyena cried out before moving in for another bite, but Kodiak was still too fast, with the last of her momentum, she landed on the face of the mightyena with all her paws, using as much of her weight to push the mightyena straight to the ground headfirst. Its large head crashed into the earth, a cloud of dust billowed from the strength of the blow.

  
She leapt off the pack leader back towards the round Pokémon, the poochyena’s attention was still on the meowth, recovered from the flinching, but they seemed winded. Kodiak felt satisfied, and the pink Pokémon looked thrilled. It jumped with joy as it took down the pack leader, but its expression quickly turned dark when it screamed, “LOOK OUT!” And as they said it, a shadow creeped over the meowth, but before Kodiak could look, she was grabbed by the tail and dragged through the dirt, before being picked up and slammed to the ground; the wind was knocked out of her lungs, she coughed but could not recover before the mightyena threw her up in the air.

  
There she sailed for what seemed like forever, the gaping jaws of the mightyena were all she saw. The world fell silent around her as her ears rung and her vision faded in and out. She had to figure out something quick, or else— Suddenly, the mightyena wailed in agony as a cloud of sparkling, pink dust overcame it - the powerful winds cut like knives against the dark type, and Kodiak was grateful to be out of range from that deceptively devastating attack that would seriously harm any dark type. She saw the round Pokémon conjuring the winds, even the poochyena were affected. They quickly fled into the brush, but the mightyena was stubborn. It tried to face the wind, but it was a losing battle.

Kodiak saw the fairy wind dying down, and took the opportunity to conjure the power within her, honing in the damage done, before unsheathing her claws once more and spinning herself with the momentum of the fall towards the mightyena, paws and claws outstretched. She spun before her claws made contact with the back of the pack leader’s head, a great white light from the impact was blinding, and as if frozen in time, Kodiak’s mind eased before she jumped off the back of the mightyena. When she hit the ground she stumbled, her belly scraping the floor before she hurried herself up, running towards the round Pokémon. She looked back at the mightyena, knocked out from the impact. Her sides heaved and she sighed, glancing at the pink Pokémon she had saved. They looked unharmed. That was good, Kodiak thought. 

  
Wasting not a second more, just in case the mightyena were to wake up, with her tail she guided the Pokémon out of the woods and back on track to Fortune Town, where they could rest.

  
Just outside the crossroads, Kodiak took a break. She took a deep breath before stopping for a moment. The pink Pokémon followed in haste, and was panting as well, and opted to rest with their hero.

  
"Thanks for saving me... I was so scared, I thought I was never going to make it." The Pokémon said. Kodiak said nothing. "My name's Marf! Marf the swirlix!" He said, and Kodiak now knew his name to be Marf. An odd name, but perhaps a fitting one for such an odd Pokémon as himself.

  
Marf looked like he was trying to get a response out of Kodiak, who sat there staring, hoping he'd continue talking. "You know, out of those woods now, I can get a better look at you... You're no ordinary meowth, huh? What's your name?"

  
Kodiak said nothing.

Marf looked puzzled. "It's funny, I remember hearing about a odd-coloured meowth in Fortune Town. A dark nose and dark paws, bright orange eyes... Could it be you?" 

Kodiak said nothing.

Marf continued, "I came to Fortune Town to become an explorer. I had a friend in my home town tell me about this place, and talked about you a lot." 

Kodiak said nothing.

  
"His name was North. Maybe you knew him?"

  
Kodiak's eyes widened, her whiskers perked up, her ears almost sat atop her head, and she nodded.

  
Marf jumped on his feet. "Then it is you! You're the meowth that had her voice stolen!"


End file.
